FR EN
1 / 15
an image of a very ornate wooden boxa gold and black box with carvings on ita gold and black box with carvings on the top of ita very ornate wooden box with carvings on ita gold and black chest sitting on top of a tablea gold and black box with a lion on ita gold and black box sitting on a tablea gold and black chest with a statue on ita gold and black box with a statue on ita gold and black chest with a clock on ita gold and black box with a statue on ita gold and black box with a statue on top of ita gold and black box with statues on ita gold and black chest with a clock on ita wooden chest with a clock on top of it
Featured lot selected by the auctions House.
Premium VALOIR POUSSE-CORNET Maison de ventes

41 - SMALL ‘Cassetta’ CHEST in carved wood, painted in polychrome…
See original version (French)

Estimate €15,000 - €20,000
Sale commission
Description
SMALL ‘Cassetta’ CHEST in carved wood, painted in polychrome and gilded, decorated with the coats of arms of the Medici and Cappello families Italy, Florence, c. 1578 Resting on concave feet adorned with cherub heads; the front panel, framed by double scroll borders, flanked by pairs of nude caryatids; the reverse bears several paper labels indicating its provenance from 1922 Height: 49 cm (19 ¼ in.); Width: 74 cm (29 in.); Depth: 48 cm (19 in.) PROVENANCE: -Most likely commissioned by Francesco I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1541–1587), and his wife Bianca Cappello (1548–1587), who were married in 1578 in Florence, Italy. -‘Furniture and Works of Art from the Castle Formerly Occupied by the Savoy Family in Verzuolo (Piedmont), Italy and Other Valuable Artistic Property Recently Selected Abroad by the Connoisseur Chevalier Raoul Tolentino’, auction held by the American Art Association, New York, 16–18 February 1922, lot 240. -Private collection, Florence, Italy. In his seminal work *The Civilisation of the Renaissance in Italy* (1860), Jacob Burckhardt highlights the link between the flourishing of Renaissance culture and the refinement of domestic life, particularly through the development of comfort and furniture in Italy (Burckhardt, 2010, p. 227). In the same vein, Wilhelm von Bode observes that, from the second half of the Quattrocento onwards, the rise of individualism and the quest for greater comfort fostered a renewal of Florentine furniture, particularly under the impetus of the Medici (Bode, 1921, p. 7). The cassetta (small chest) is an emblematic example of this evolution in furniture. Also known as a ‘cassa’, ‘cofanetto’ or ‘forzierino’ depending on its use and region of origin, this small chest, characteristic of Tuscany, developed at the same time as the ‘cassone’, sharing a similar stylistic language with it. The cassone, a large, richly decorated chest with a single compartment, evolved notably under the influence of the Mannerist style, which sought to ‘produce sculpted forms and transform the chest into a structure with a curved silhouette reminiscent of ancient Roman marble sarcophagi ’ (Paolini, in the V&A exhibition catalogue, p. 121). Carved mainly from walnut and partially gilded, the cassetta derives from the round or oval gesso boxes of the 14th and 15th centuries, used to store jewellery and fine linen. These boxes, which had become less suited to growing needs, were in particular too light and small to provide adequate protection against theft (Bode, 1921, p. 11). Intended as engagement gifts, the cassettes replaced them and were probably used to store precious objects as well as items from the dowry, such as sewing tools… Our small chest features a coat of arms centred on the front panel, with the characteristic six balls (palle), belonging to the Medici family (Di Crollalanza, 1965, p. 119). A political dynasty, a family of bankers and a princely house, the Medici became hereditary dukes of Florence in 1531, then grand dukes of Tuscany in 1569, a title they retained until 1737. Famous for their patronage of the arts, they produced four popes for the Catholic Church—Leo X, Clement VII, Pius IV and Leo XI—as well as two queens of France, Catherine and Marie de’ Medici. The coat of arms on the opposite panel, depicting a wide-brimmed hat, belongs to the Cappello family, originally from Capua and the Campagna, who contributed to the construction of the church of Santa Maria Formosa in Venice (Brown, 2004, p. 13). Francesco de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (1541–1587), married Bianca Cappello (1548–1587) in 1578, and it was on this occasion that the small chest shown here (cassetta) must have been commissioned. Their relationship had begun in 1564, whilst both were still married: Bianca to Piero Buonaventuri, a Florentine of modest means, and Francesco to Archduchess Jeanne of Austria (1547–1578), whom he had married in 1565. After fourteen years of a secret relationship, Bianca and Francesco married in private in 1578. Owing to the recent death of Jeanne of Austria, their union was not celebrated publicly until the following year, when Bianca became Grand Duchess. Comparative bibliography: W. von Bode, *Italian Renaissance Furniture*, trans. by Mary E. Herrick, New York, 1921 G. B. Di Crollalanza, *Dizionario Storico-blasonico delle Famiglie Nobili e Notabili Italiane Estine e Fiorenti*, Bologna, 1954 J. Burckhardt, *The Civilisation of the Renaissance in Italy*, New York, 2010, originally published in 1860 P. F. Brown, *Private Lives in Renaissance Venice: Art, Architecture, and the Family*, New Haven & London, 2004 M. Ajmar-Wollheim and F. Dennis (eds.), *At Home in Renaissance Italy*, exhibition catalogue, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 2006
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale TREASURES OF THE LOIRE VALLEY
Auction location
Auction time 11/22/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures modified on 10/15/2026 at 7:54 PM
Lot description modified on 10/15/2026 at 7:54 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like